Jack Ma turns 53: Here are nine lesser-known facts about the business magnate

Jack Ma, the co-founder of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, turns 53 today. On his birthday, we bring to you some interesting facts about him:

Often got into fights with his classmates

It has been reported that Jack Ma often used to get involved in fights with his classmates, and the fact that he was thin and bony as kid didn't seem to deter him. In the book 'Alibaba,' written by Liu Shiying and Martha Avery, Jack Ma has been quoted saying "I was never afraid of opponents who were bigger than I," while recalling these fights from childhood.

Used to collect crickets as a child

Ma's friend and personal assistant at Alibaba, Chen Wei, revealed in his book 'Jack Ma: Founder and CEO of the Alibaba Group', that as a kid, Ma was fond of collecting crickets and even made them fight. So much so, that Ma could tell about the size and type of cricket just by the sound that it made.

The name 'Jack' was given to him by a tourist who became his friend

Earlier known as Ma Yun, he used to reportedly offer tourists a tour of his home town Hangzhou in exchange of English lessons. One of the tourists he befriended gave him the name 'Jack.'

Once he graduated in 1988, it is reported that Jack Ma applied for 30 jobs. (Image: Reuters)

Failed to clear college entrance exam

After completing high school, Jack Ma applied for higher education in college. However, he failed the entrance exam twice. It was only in the third attempt that he passed and got admission in Hangzhou Teacher's Institute.

Once he graduated in 1988, it is reported that Jack Ma applied for 30 jobs. He is said to have been rejected from every one. In fact, he was one among the 24 people who applied for a job at KFC, when the fast food chain first came to China. However, he was the only one who got rejected. He eventually got a job of an English teacher at a local university.

Did not get through Harvard University

Jack Ma was quoted saying World Economic Forum 2016, that he has been rejected from Harvard 10 times.

Got introduced to internet while on a trip to US

Jack Ma had started a translation business and was on a trip to US in when he was first introduced to the internet in 1995. It was then that he decided to build an internet company for China.

His venture before Alibaba failed

It has been reported that after returning from US, Jack Ma started China Pages, which was a directory of various Chinese companies on the internet. However, China Pages did not succeed. It was four years later that he decided to start Alibaba.

Stepped down as Alibaba's CEO post in 2013

Jack stepped down as the CEO of Alibaba in 2013, and has since been the executive chairman of the company.